Senior IBM i Technical Architect

Persistent Systems • Philadelphia, PA

21h • Hybrid

About The Position

Persistent is seeking an experienced Senior IBM i / iSeries Technical Architect for a long-term enterprise production support and application development engagement. This hands-on architecture role requires deep expertise in IBM i (AS/400), RPG development, and enterprise application modernization. The architect will serve as the primary technical interface for client stakeholders and collaborate closely with offshore engineering teams. The role covers solution architecture, impact assessment, production support, modernization planning, integration strategy, and technical leadership across a large and complex IBM i application landscape.

The position is based in Philadelphia, PA, and is full-time. The stated experience range is 12 to 16 years. Persistent describes itself as an AI-led, platform-driven digital engineering and enterprise modernization partner serving clients across industries. It emphasizes talent development, inclusion, and a people-centric work environment.

Requirements

• 12–16 years of experience in IBM i / iSeries application development, architecture, and enterprise support environments.
• Strong hands-on expertise in IBM i architecture, RPG III, RPG IV, RPGLE, Free Format RPG, CL, and DB2 for IBM i.
• Proven experience architecting and supporting large-scale IBM i-based enterprise applications.
• Strong understanding of application modernization strategies for legacy IBM i environments.
• Experience designing and implementing enterprise integration solutions involving IBM i platforms.
• Expertise in application impact analysis, performance tuning, troubleshooting, and solution optimization.
• Strong knowledge of DB2 database design, SQL, database optimization, and data access patterns.
• Experience designing REST and SOAP API integrations for legacy and modern application environments.
• Ability to lead technical discussions with senior client stakeholders and business users.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
• Experience managing technical dependencies across complex application portfolios.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to provide technical leadership across distributed delivery models.

Responsibilities

• Analyze, design, and architect solutions within a large-scale IBM i / iSeries application environment.
• Create high-level solution architectures and detailed technical design documents.
• Assess the impact of business and technical changes across RPG applications, DB2 databases, interfaces, and downstream systems.
• Provide architectural direction and technical leadership for application enhancements, maintenance, and modernization initiatives.
• Design scalable and maintainable solutions aligned with business and operational requirements.
• Identify opportunities to modernize legacy applications while preserving business-critical functionality.
• Design and support API-led integration patterns for IBM i applications and external enterprise systems.
• Collaborate with client stakeholders, business users, architects, and engineering teams to define technical roadmaps and priorities.
• Identify and remediate technical debt, performance bottlenecks, security gaps, and maintainability issues.
• Support troubleshooting and root-cause analysis of complex production incidents and application issues.
• Guide development teams on architecture standards, coding practices, solution design, and implementation approaches.
• Review technical deliverables and provide architectural governance across projects and support initiatives.
• Balance modernization objectives with the stability requirements of a mission-critical production environment.
• Mentor development teams and provide technical leadership across distributed delivery models.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Culture focused on talent development with quarterly growth opportunities.
• Company-sponsored higher education and certifications.
• Opportunity to work with cutting-edge technologies.
• Employee engagement initiatives, including project parties, flexible work hours, and Long Service awards.
• Annual health check-ups.
• Insurance coverage including group term life, personal accident, and Mediclaim hospitalization for the employee, spouse, two children, and parents.
• Hybrid work and flexible hours.
• Accessibility-friendly office with ergonomic setups and assistive technologies to support employees with physical disabilities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed